Large dogs, ugly dogs, and a caboodle of canines'll join the competitive high jinks.

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Bulldogs get their day in the sun -- and on the pageant red carpet -- at Marine Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 16.

How bulldogs and other brachycephalic pups -- those dogs blessed with flat, foldy faces -- came to inherit all of the "ish" and "osh" words, in terms of their darling appearances, we're not sure.

But the ishes do work. Consider how often people say they want to "squish" and "smoosh" their little dogly faces, squish with kisses and cuddles, the same people who normally be of sober temperament and not prone to ishing squat, flat-of-face Fidos.

If you're this person, we can only imagine you've already got a big red X over Sunday, Feb. 16 on the bulldog-bedecked calendar on the front of your refrigerator. That's when the Bulldog Beauty Pageant struts down the red carpet at Long Beach's Marine Stadium, and a dozen and a half other canine contests to boot.

The squishy-of-facers tend to get the hound-type headlines of the day, but there is much to love beyond the bulldog spectacle: Ugly dogs will have a contest, and large dogs, and senior dogs, too. Dachshunds and chihuahuas will also bask in the applause, and a few treats, too, we imagine.

Justin Rudd is behind the muttly merriment. Oh, and speaking of mutts? The National Mutt Show is part of the day.

You can enter your own pooch there, for a small fee, so check all of the categories and see if there is a match. With 19 in all, we're just betting one is a fit. And if you're a Haute Dog parade person? This is from the same organizer, so you'll see a lot of the Haute-loving humans out at the stadium.

Nope, we may not have Westminster here in Southern California, but with a lot of squishy bulldoggery and some mutt love, we do have plenty of furry goodness come February.